Wild Blue Yonder

An Out-of-Work Gal Considers Her Opportunities

About Me

What began here as an online journal chronicling my progress as I pursued a variety of financial goals has morphed into a blog devoted to the concerns and challenges of the unemployed.

A communicator by profession, I cannot sit on my hands, even while temporarily out of work. What better subject to delve into than one I am personally experiencing, along with 15.4 million other Americans?

Personal finance issues and strategies for stretching a dollar will surely top the list, but I also plan to adopt a more holistic approach by taking on any aspect of the jobless experience that I think will be of interest to readers.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback.

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“Fiscal fitness” can be a challenge, whether you have a steady paycheck or more erratic income. Maintaining financially sound personal finances requires discipline, stamina for the long run and an unwavering focus on what’s important.

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Archive for April, 2009

I picked out my second cat. No, I don't have him yet, but I hope to in another week or two. I decided to go with "Stripey," the large male tabby who time and again has been passed over by potential adoptees.

As befitting of an older male cat, these are the names I'm mulling over. Please tell me which TWO you like the most:

Anyway, as I said, I don't have him yet. My last contact with my shelter contact was when she emailed me yesterday saying they were going to have a traveling vet come to the shelter to give him his shots and put him in the carrier for them.

Luther and I have gotten into a nice lifestyle here and while I can still see he's got oodles of energy and needs more company, I also don't want to upset/disrupt our loving little household.

On the plus side, everything is pretty much cat-proofed at this point, and I don't think an older cat would be likely to get into more mischief than Luther already has. My shower curtain is now permanently thrown over the bar since Luther clawed the bottom. Same goes for my bedroom floor-length curtains. (Unfortunately, he managed to get one down and there are small holes in one panel. I really had to grit my teeth then.) I have vinyl blinds in several rooms and I've been careful not the let the cords dangle, as that is just like waving a raw steak in front of a hungry cougar. He HAS to attack.

If I can see fairly early on that Stripey won't hurt Luther and they more or less look like they'll get on, that would be huge for me. I am prepared for it to be weeks (maybe more) for this cat to warm up to me. That's ok. I can be patient. I just would find it very difficult to have to keep the 2 cats separated for any length of time, since I could see closing myself in whatever room i put Stripey in will cause Luther to start meowing and carrying on. (Plus, my upstairs bedroom doors don't close to well; they tend to pop open.)

I plan to put Stripey in my office here. Luther and I spend more time in my bedroom, so during the time when Stripey is still acclimating, this will be a quieter area where I don't HAVE to be.

I am pleased as punch to have pushed my emergency fund over the $10,000 mark with today's contribution. (I do a transfer every payday.) I'm about 41% toward my goal of 8 months worth of living expenses. I am 2 months ahead of schedule with having saved that amount, and it's because I threw my tax refund in that.

This is part of my daily commute. These daffodils cover a wide area. (The homeowners live across the street.)

I got heating oil delivered yesterday. I thought prices might go even lower now that heating season is nearly over, but actually, prices rose a little from their low of $1.76 a gallon. (This is heating oil, like diesel, not the same as gas for the car.) I got about 140 gallons at $1.99 a gallon, still a huge savings compared to last winter and even a very decent price compared to all my winters here.

Because I'm a manic keep-track-of-everything-you-never-know-when-it'll-come-in-handy kind of girl, i can tell you the lowest oil prices i paid in the past 4 years was, in fact, $1.99 a gallon yesterday (!) and the highest was $4.24 a gallon in June of 2008. I don't think prices will stay that low, so that's why I topped off the tank, though I still had a third of a tank left.

It's times like this that i keep telling myself i should have a second oil tank installed in my garage next to the other one, and I could fill them both up when prices are low and know I'm covered for all of the next season. As it stands now, this one full tank will probably get me through mid-January.